


The Baking Lesson

by Eravalefantasy



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Family Fluff, Gen, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 02:09:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13672065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eravalefantasy/pseuds/Eravalefantasy
Summary: Determined to do something different for Ava, Gladio enlists Iris' help.





	The Baking Lesson

The Baking Lesson

M. E. 756, February

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Gladio looked at the collection of foodstuffs, bowls and baking sheets. Iris had covered every surface in their kitchen. “You said this would be easy.”

Iris laughed, pulling her brother toward the countertop. “Don’t start, Gladdy. _You_ said you wanted to do something different for Ava.” She gestured to the book. “These are sure to earn you some serious points.”

Unconvinced, he looked at the page. “There are at least two dozen steps here. I said something easy, Iris.  Like pick up the phone and place an order.”

She scoffed. “Let me give you a hint here. Girls love when you put in a little effort, okay? These have all of Ava’s favorite things included: chocolate, dried cherries and _more_ chocolate. Trust me.”

He shook his head trying to remember if Ava had ever mentioned any of her favorite things except for The Noodle Shop. “That’s a lot of chocolate, are you sure?”

Staring at her brother wide eyed, Iris blinked several times. “She’s your girlfriend and you don’t have a clue.” She shook his arm. “Just pay attention and I’ll help you through this, all right?”

Iris led Gladio through the steps, paying little attention to the ever increasing mess on the floor and countertops. His phone rang only once during their preparations. His hands covered in cookie dough, Gladio asked Iris for help.

“Keep rolling, I’ve got this,” she said, snatching up the phone. “It’s Ignis.”

“Tell him I’ll call him back.”

Iris grinned as she answered the phone. “Oh, hi Ignis!” The short pauses between sentences continued as Iris talked. “I’m great, thanks for asking.”

“Iris, tell him I’ll call him back.” Gladio understood all too well Iris could talk at length if allowed.

She waved her brother off and pointed at the bowl of dough. “Gladdy’s making cookies for Ava. He’ll have to call you back.”  Iris laughed in response to something Ignis had said. “Oh! The chocolate dipped cherry recipe, they’re _so_ good.”

“Iris,” Gladio interrupted, “ _take a message_ , please.”

Despite his interruptions, Iris continued her conversation. “I know, right? She’s going to flip!” Iris answered several more questions with a few well-placed one word answers. “Sure thing, Ignis, we’ll have a lot, is dark chocolate okay?”

Gladio tried once more to get Iris’ attention, but she held up her finger and ended the call. “No problem! I’ll box up a bunch for you.  Okay, I’ll tell him. Bye!” Iris returned Gladio’s phone to the back counter. “Ignis would like a few cookies for himself and a small batch for Noct. We’ll have plenty.” Iris looked over Gladio’s work, nodding to herself. “Not bad, Gladdy, but you need to space these out on the cookie sheet, they’re going to spread when you bake them.”  She stopped and took a breath, seeing Gladio stare at her. “What?”

“My phone? What did Ignis want, besides cookies?” He didn’t miss the eye roll from his sister. “And don’t roll your eyes at me, Squirt.”

Iris laughed. “You haven’t called me that in a long time. Okay, I get it. No more eye rolling.” Iris grabbed a metal baking sheet.  “So, these have to be baked on that paper otherwise it’ll take a miracle to get the cookie off in one piece.” Iris prepped the baking sheet while Gladio washed his hands and then joined her.

Leaning his chin atop her head, he laughed as she complained. “You’re not helping, Gladdy.”

“Neither are you, what did Ignis want?” 

Iris ducked down and spun around. She pointed to the sink. “Dishes.”

“Ignis wanted dishes?” He understood her direction, but couldn’t resist teasing. The exaggerated huff and narrowed look from Iris made him laugh.

“You really aren’t funny.”

“It was a little funny,” he fired back.

“Whatever,” she said, twisting a kitchen timer; the small dial in her hands clicked with each movement. “Ignis wanted to remind you of the change in training time; it’s later than usual today.” The mechanical whirring noise from the timer counted down the minutes. “We’ll have everything done before you have to go, but make sure Ava doesn’t see the cookies until tomorrow.”

Iris explained the final step. Once the batches cooled, the cookies were dipped in melted chocolate coating one half and returned to the tray to set. “So dishes first and then we’ll finish up.”

The two settled into an easy silence while they cleaned up, Iris stopping now and then to switch out baking trays and setting each batch to cool, before loading in another. Iris would glance up at her brother every so often; he’d caught every peek, but waited until their task was done.

“What?”

She pointed toward a glass bowl and Gladio handed it to her.  “Nothing.”

He watched as she poured chopped up chocolate into the bowl and nestled it atop a pot with boiling water. “Spill it, Squirt.”

Iris sighed, not meeting his eyes. She stirred the chocolate and spoke to the bowl. “I like Ava.”

He smiled. “I do, too.”

“Duh. Like, obvious much?” A quick glance in his direction preceded another sigh.

Something bothered her; Gladio knew his sister’s moods. This was worry. “What’s bugging you?”

Reaching for a small container of cream, she added a little to the chocolate, stirring while she talked. “Well, how does this work? She’s in the Guard and you’re . . . well, _you_. Don’t you think . . . what happens if . . . never mind.”

Gladio understood, but he didn’t have an answer. Neither of them did. Ava told him repeatedly the time would come where he would have to put everything else before her-she accepted that fact.

Iris knew the expectations, she learned what his role could mean at a young age, but he didn’t want his sister to worry.  “Everything will be all right. You think I’d go through all this for just anybody?”

“Oh Gladdy, I know,” Iris said, “I can’t help it, I like happy endings.”


End file.
